Iron bridge



J. YANDEL'L & J. H. JOHNSON;

IRONTRUSS BRIDGE.

No. 11,818. 1 Patented 001. 17, 1854.-

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

JNO. YANDELL AND .108. H. JOHNSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IRON BRIDGE.

- Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,818, dated October 17, 1854.

T 0 all w/wm it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN YANDELL and J OSEPH H. JOHNSON, both of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Constructing ire-Tress Suspension-Bridges; and we do hereby de clare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of our invention consists, in the peculiar mode of combining together of all the several parts as they are employed in the tension tress work, and attaching the same to anchor chains in the manner hereafter described, and also the peculiar mode of combining the tress work, with the suspension cables in the manner, and for the purposes hereafter set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use our invention, we willnow proceed to describe its construction.

Figure 1, is a side view of an elevation; Fig. 2, is a plan of the same; Fig. 3, is a transverse section of the same.

The anchor chains L, are made and secured into the abutments by any well known mode. The horizontal cords A, are wire cables prepared in the usual way, or may be made of round bar iron, in sections of any convenient length, and then coupled together by knuckle joints of, the usual form; and are attached to the anchor chains in pairs, by inserting the ends of the cords through the coupling plates G, and drawn to a proper flexibility and secured by nuts and screws formed on their ends for that purpose. The pillars D, are cast iron columns, having a flange on each. end, and rest on the lower cords, at regular intervals, and receives both the upper and the lower cords, into grooves formed for that purpose on the ends of the pillars. The caps F, and plates E have similar grooves formed thereon, and thereby forming two full circles, or holes through which the cords A, pass. The diagonal tension braces may be made either of common wire, or, round-bar iron, with an eye formed on each end, rest with their centers in grooves formed on the caps for that purpose, and pass diagonally to the base of each contiguous pillar, and secured by inserting the legs of the strips H, through each alternate eye on the braces, and also through the bottom plates E and drawn tight b nuts and screws formed on the strips. Tie braces are attached to the anchor chains by the means of coupling plate G in like manner as the horizontal cords A, are secured. The cross-ties J, and String-pieces K, reston the caps at right angles with each other, and are secured to the tress work, by inserting the bolt I, through the timbers and also through the pillars and drawn tight by nuts and screws formed thereon for that purpose. The main suspension cables 0, are attached to the anchor chains in like manner as theother cords are attached, and rest on cast iron columns, and receives the tress work at the center of the span, on a transverse girder O, and also may be attached at as many points to the tress work, as may be required, according to the span of the bridge. hen the bridge is intended for rail-roads, the iron railing is secured to the string pieces, or if intended for county purposes, then the sheeting and banisters may be attached by any well known mode, or, the banisters may be tresswork similar to that already described; the slight depression in the tress Work may be easily remedied by giving proper depth to the timbers, the depth being equal to the depression.

e do not claim as new the use of anchorchains, or suspension cords, as they have set forth.

JOHN YANDELL. JOSEPH H. JOHNSON. In presence of EDWD. E. ALLEN, JOHN T. ANDREWS. 

